Links for 06-12-2006
Brazil <3s rainforest, massive solar flare, debating the merits (cough) of different CMS platforms, Rudy Rucker interviewed (plus NZ holiday snaps), nanotech more risky than bicycles…
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“A swath of Amazon rain forest the size of Alabama was placed under government protection Monday in a region infamous for violent conflicts among loggers, ranchers and environmentalists.” That’s great; now, police it effectively.
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“New nuclear technology will cut waste so significantly that we may no longer need to dump it underground, according to an Australian government report.” Electricity too cheap to meter, forsooth! Sounds like old news.
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“One reason our SETI searches may be turning up nothing is that everywhere in the cosmos, civilizations exist that are much like ours. [...] They are listening rather than transmitting.”
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“A major X-9 flare erupted this morning [image]. It emanated from a large sunspot, numbered 929, which is just coming into view around the eastern limb of the Sun.”
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“In theory, a quantum computer could be far more powerful than any existing device. Making it work, however, means protecting the quantum particles used in its calculations from the disrupting noise of the outside world.”
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“Basketball vests (singlets) with electroluminescent displays that show a player’s score, and number of fouls, are being trialled in Australia.” Gimmicktastic! The sponsors will want some of that glowing action, methinks.
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“Wouldn’t : * Blogger - Really popular, and consequently has every virus known to science.” Short snappy humour for blog geeks.
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“The beam produces what experimenters call the “Goodbye effect,” or “prompt and highly motivated escape behavior.” In human tests … none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.” This sounds very nasty indeed.
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“Swivel [...] start off by describing their company as “YouTube for Data.” That’s a good start for someone trying to understand it, because the site allows users to upload data - any data - and display it to other users visually.”
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“Quit beating yourself up - You can’t create when you feel ass-whipped. Stop visualizing catastrophes, and focus on positive outcomes.” Some great advice right here.
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“Reading Mathematicians in Love left me pretty much full of questions about life, the universe, why I’m a higher math dunce, and everything that I suspected only Rudy Rucker would be able to answer.” The ‘Mad Professor’ speaks.
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Rudy Rucker’s back from a holiday in New Zealand. He has pictures. I am jealous.
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13 - Teenar, Girl Guitar“Here is Lou Reimuller (a.k.a. Sunset Lou, musician, collector, luthier, artist) and his invention: Teenar, The Girl Guitar - a vintage mannequin transformed into an electric guitar (1986, Richmond, VA).” Very cool, but also somehow wrong.
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“Decaffeinated coffee plants, pest-resistant cotton, and Vitamin A-producing rice varieties have all been developed by introducing genes into plants.” De-caff coffee plants? Why mess with perfection, guys?
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“The US public feels that nanotechnology is more risky and offers less benefit than bicycles [...] The technology was, however, seen as more beneficial than handguns.” Is it just me, or are surveys really strange things?
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“A giant black hole has been caught red-handed dipping into a cosmic cookie jar of stars by NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer. This is the first time astronomers have seen the whole process of a black hole eating a star…”
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17 - To the Moon, Alice!“It’s frustrating to be so lukewarm about the Great Human Adventure in Space, about which I’d much prefer to be enthusiastic. But nothing about the operation inspires confidence, much less wonder.” NASA talking loud but saying nothing?
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